Police arrest sword-carrying man dressed as the ‘Joker’

Police in Winchester, Virginia, arrested a man on Friday afternoon who was dressed as the popular villain, the Joker, while carrying a sword in public.

New York Daily Newsreports that Jeremy Putnam, 31, painted his face up like the villain played by Heath Ledger in the blockbuster Batman movie, The Dark Knight. Several people called 911 after they saw Putnam wearing a cape and wielding a sword while waking around the city.

Police arrived at around 2 p.m. and stopped Putnam, who was walking around a shopping center in Winchester, a town around 75 miles northwest of Washington, D.C. He was arrested and charged with wearing a mask in public, a felony in Virginia, under Virginia Code 18.2-422.

Wearing a mask in Virginia is no joke — it’s a felony. Police in Winchester got to play the role of Batman on Friday…

“It shall be unlawful for any person over 16 years of age, with the intent to conceal his identity, wear any mask, hood, or other device, whereby a substantial portion of the face is hidden or covered, so as to conceal the identity of the wearer, to be or appear in any public place, or upon any private property in this Commonwealth, without first having obtained from the owner or tenant thereof consent to do so in writing.”

Authorities said that they received similar calls in previous weeks about a masked person walking around Winchester, but they didn’t think the incidents were related to Putnam.

Putnam is being held at the Northwestern Regional Adult Detention Center on a $2,000 bond. He’s facing a Class 6 Felony and could face up to five years in prison if convicted.